4 Ways You Can Help Ensure Equal Voting Access for Americans with Disabilities

This weekend marks 24 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. The law has far-reaching impacts, including making our elections more accessible to Americans with mental or physical disabilities, who make up 1 out of 7 eligible voters. By requiring polling places to provide necessary public accommodations for voters with disabilities, the ADA plays a critical role in helping ensure that all eligible voters have access to the ballot box.

In celebration of the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, here are just a few ways you can help ensure equal access to the ballot for Americans with disabilities.

2. Join the fight against restrictive voter ID measures. Voter ID measures, including photo voter ID, disproportionately affect people with disabilities – many of whom lack driver’s licenses – as well as the elderly, students, women, minorities and low-income people. Citizens across the country have fought voter ID measures in their state houses, in court and at the ballot box.

3. Support early and absentee voting options. Research shows that early and absentee voting options play a critical role in increasing voting access for those with mobility impairments or transportation barriers.

Our democracy is powered by a diversity of voices. Twenty-four years after it was passed, the Americans with Disabilities Act remains critical in ensuring that our electorate is representative of the population as a whole, and that all voters can weigh in on what matters to them most.

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40 comments

you idiots still harping on id laws, http://dmvanswers.com/questions/419/How-much-do-state-ID-cards-cost, this will tell you every state cost for id and for seniors or disabled people a majority have either free or discounted id's, so shut up

Each of our voices should be heard. Absentee voting works best for me (disabled and not always able to get a ride). The highest bar I have to jump (figuratively) is GETTING an application for absentee voting and getting the local Board of Elections to ACCEPT that every required item/piece of information is ON the completed and returned form. sigh